Intruder shoots family dog in Metairie backyard

A Metairie man said a trespasser shot and wounded his dog in his backyard Monday night. Zeus, a 5-year-old Doberman Pinscher, is in stable condition at Southeast Veterinary Specialists in Metairie. But owner Henry McCaskill said he is scrambling come up with the $3,419 required to perform surgery. The incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. at McCaskill's home in the 900 block of...

A Metairie man said a trespasser shot and wounded his dog in his backyard Monday night. Zeus, a 5-year-old Doberman Pinscher, is in stable condition at Southeast Veterinary Specialists in Metairie. But owner Henry McCaskill said he is scrambling come up with the $3,419 required to perform surgery.

The bullet struck Zeus in the face and came out of his bottom jaw, shattering a few of his teeth. The projectile then lodged in his shoulder.

Deputies dispatched to the house found Zeus lying in the backyard bleeding profusely. Fortunato said investigators found one spent shell casing.

McCaskill said Zeus, who is an inside dog, began barking Monday night. Those woofs usually indicate that he wants to go out or that someone is lurking around, McCaskill said.

"When he does that late at night, I just open the door," said McCaskill, who noted that Zeus once caught a burglar attempting to break into a neighbor's shed and another man who had jumped the fence into his yard.

McCaskill opened the door for Zeus, who raced into the backyard. He said he walked out just behind the dog.

"Before I could get to the back of the house, I heard a gunshot. He started yelping. I didn't have anything to protect myself, so I had to get inside and just close the door," McCaskill said.

The bullet struck Zeus in the face and came out of his bottom jaw, shattering a few of his teeth. The projectile then lodged in his shoulder.

McCaskill said a deputy who arrived at the house said that he was in the area searching for someone on the nearby railroad tracks. But Fortunato said this afternoon that there is no information indicating that the Sheriff's Office was following a suspect at that time.

McCaskill never saw the gunman who shot his dog and could not give a description to investigators. But he and relatives are more concerned with finding a way to pay for Zeus' treatment.

"He's a sweetheart," McCaskill said. "The only thing he ever did was protect his home and his master."

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Sheriff's Office investigations bureau at 504.364.5300 or Crimestoppers Inc. at 504.822.1111 or toll free at 877.903.7867. Callers to Crimestoppers do not have to give their names or testify to earn up to $2,500 for tips that lead to an indictment.